Pressurized decorating device

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to an apparatus for decorating pastry and the like comprising housing having a first chamber, means for dividing said first chamber into a plurality of isolated compartments, a second chamber detachably connected to the first chamber, reservoir means for a plurality of differently colored pastry decorating materials, pressurized feed means for selectively feeding the decorating materials from the reservoir means to the first chamber, dispensing means on the second chamber, and valve means for controlling flow of decorating materials outward of the dispensing means. Shaft means extend through the first and second chambers and have the valve means disposed on one end, the shaft means having its other end extending outwardly of the first chamber, and spring means disposed about said shaft in the first chamber for normally urging the shaft and thus the valve means into a closed position and so that depression of the other end of the shaft means will open the valve means and upon release of the other end the spring means will close the valve means.

United States Patent [1 1 Repola Nov. 20, 1973 PRESSURIZED DECORATINGDEVICE Aldo Repola, 628 E. 240th St., Bronx, NY. 10470 Inventor:

Primary Examiner--Samuel F. Coleman Attorney-Kenneth S. Goldfarb J5 Z45;, 24 A m 0 70 &4 Z! 92 5+1 1Z1 'Z 60 f4 55 /fi 57 ABSTRACT Thisinvention relates to an apparatus for decorating pastry and the likecomprising housing having a first chamber, means for dividing said firstchamber into a plurality of isolated compartments, a second chamberdetachably connected to the first chamber, reservoir means for aplurality of differently colored pastry decorating materials,pressurized feed means for selectively feeding the decorating materialsfrom the reservoir means to the first chamber, dispensing means on thesecond chamber, and valve means for controlling flow of decoratingmaterials outward of the dispensing means. Shaft means extend throughthe first and second chambers and have the valve means disposed on oneend, the shaft means having its other end extending outwardly of thefirst chamber, and spring means disposed about said shaft in the firstchamber for normally urging the shaft and thus the valve means into aclosed position and so that depression of the other end of the shaftmeans will open the valve means and upon release of the other end thespring means will close the valve means.

1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED NOV 20 i973 R4 3 3 W5 IF m w m i LLPRESSURIZED DECORATING DEVICE This invention relates to a novelapparatus for decorating successive pastry units and the like withsemisolid confectionary pastes, creams, or icings, such as butter'creamor sugar icings, and more particularly, to decorating pastry withseveral differently colored materials at the same time.

In the past, it has not been possible to decorate cakes and otherpastries with defferently colored confectionary materials without havingto use a different device for each colored material. Because of the manyand repetitive steps required by this method, it is highly inefficientfor the assembly line production need for rapidity and consistency ofresults. Therefore, cake and pastry manufacturers have had to eitherforego colorfulness of design or pay very high salaries to persons withthe requisite skill and efficiency for large scale production, thelatter resulting in a high cost to the consumer as compared to the costof a more simply decorated cake or pastry. Hence, persons wishing highlydecorative cakes and pastries for special occassions, i.e., havingmulti-colored designs, rely upon local bakery shops which because oftheir willingness to accomodate individual purchasers will preparespecial orders to the purchasers specification for approximately thesame cost as a mass produced decorative cake or pastry.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide anapparatus for decorating cakes and pastries with a plurality ofdifferently colored confectionary decorating materials. The apparatus ofthis invention comprises a reservoir to which at least two differentlycolored confectionary pastes, creams, icings or the like are deliveredfrom isolated compartments through parallel openings at the same time.The decorating materials enter and pass through the reservoir asparallel colored strips and since they are semi-solid they do notdiffuse into one another, but rather, the differently colored materialsform an interface wherever they come in contact with one another. Thusjoined, the several colored materials are dispensed to a conical nozzleand through a central orifice to a suitable surface. In addition to amulti-colored ribboned pattern, a skilled user of this apparatus canapply the different colors of the multi-colored ribbon separately to asurface.

Another problem encountered in conventional decorating devices is thatthe material being applied to a surface has a tendency to ooze after thesupply line for the material being delivered to the dispensing orificeis cut off. This oozing results in either causing the terminal portionof the design to be unclear or eliminates the possibility of producingan intricate design.

Prior attempts to deal with this problem have included instantaneouslystopping and starting of the flow of material by means of a cut-offvalve at the end of a delivery hose attached to a pressurized source ofsupply. Depending upon the type of valve system used, this method caneither cause spurting or sucking of the material back into the tip ofthe device. Spurting occurs when the valve is closed and then reopenedcausing the material to be abruptly expelled from the tip of the device.The second phenomenon is caused by tapered pin" type valves which arenormally seated in the orifice and cause a slight vacuum to occur in thevicinity of the orifice when the pin is released for the purpose ofdischarging the material.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a cake andpastry decorating apparatus which utilizes a cut-off valve forinstantaneously controlling the flow of decorating material, whichcut-off valve will permit accurate and neat deposition of the decoratingmaterial.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of a cakeand pastry decorating apparatus which is easily handled and which willproduce neat, intricate, decorative and ornamental shapes withoutrequiring a fatigue causing concentrated effort by the operator.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in theprovision of a cake and pastry decorating apparatus which may beoperated by a relatively unskilled craftsman, which only requires slighthand pressure for operation, which has a body comprising readilydetachable elements for ease of cleansing the interior thereof and whichdoes not require duplicity of steps to achieve an attractivemulti-colored design permitting the operator to maintain a highproduction rate.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of thisinvention, which will become apparent as the following descriptionproceeds, are attained by this cake and pastry decorating apparatus,preferred embodiments of which have been illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, by way of example only, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged partial fragmentary sectional view of the interiorof a cake and pastry decorating apparatus in accordance with theconcepts of the present invention, parts being broken away to show otherparts in detail;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the retaining ring which is interposedbetween two adjacent chambers and delivery pipes for decorating materialdisposed behind it according to this invention;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus looking along theplane of line 3-3 in FIG. 1 showing the washer which is located adjacentthe closed end of the apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the interior of an apparatussimilar to FIG. 1, parts being broken away to show other parts indetail;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the discharge nozzle for the apparatuslooking along the plane of line 5-5 in FIG. 4; and,

FIG. 6 is a partial elevational view looking along the plane of line 66in FIG. 1 of the bayonet slot and pin which secures the delivery hosesto the inside of the apparatus.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings, particularlywith reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, wherein likereference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views,reference numeral 10 is used to generally designate the cake and pastrydecorating device of this invention. The device 10 is provided with anouter housing, generally designated as 12, which includes detachablewall portions 14 and 16 and an end wall 18 and is internally dividedinto a cylindrical chamber 20 and its adjacent tapered chamber 22.Chambers 20 and 22 are separated by a retaining plate 24 provided withseveral dispensing ports or openings 26 therein. Together, chambers 20and 22 provide a passageway for facilitating movement of differentlycolored cake or pastry decorating material or topping from a remotepressurized supply tank 28, through separate and flexible hollowdelivery hoses 30 and 32 and ultimately to a conical or tapered plug 34.

The ends of delivery hoses 30 and 32 are inserted into plug 34 and aresecured in their positions by lock nuts 36 and 38, respectively. Plug 34includes a pair of bushings 40 and 42 and is removably aligned in inlet44 and locked into place by fitting a pin 46 into bayonet slot 47 inplug 34. Flexible hoses 48 and 50 transport topping from delivery hoses30 and 32, respectively, to tapered chamber 22 and one end of each isseated within bushings 40 and 42 to facilitate communication withdelivery hoses 30and 32 while the other end of each of hoses 48 and 50is connected to ports 26 in retainer ring 24 by joints 52.

Chamber 22, delivery hoses 30 and 32, and hoses 48 and 50 are maintainedat a constant internal pressure 7 by check valves 54 and 46. When lever58 is depressed,

the portion of central shaft 60 which extends through 'end wall 18causes helical spring 42 to be compressed against retaining ring 24 andtapered valve 64 to be disengaged from its wedged position against theinner surface 66 at the mouth of wall portion 16. As a consequence ofthe release of valve 64, air is expelled from chamber 22 throughdischarge chamber 34 and out of discharge orifice slit 68 in conicalnozzle 70, seen in FIG. 2. This reduction in pressure in chamber 22forces toppings into different delivery hoses 30 and 32 and hoses 48 and50 which enter chamber at inlet 44. The toppings are released from hoses48 and 50 through spaced ports 26 in retaining plate 24 and into chamber22 where an interface is established between the toppings because oftheir extremely viscous nature. The toppings then flow into dischargechamber 34 around the circumference of valve 63, always maintaining theestablished interface, and finally it flows out of discharge orificeslit 68 onto the surface being decorated as a ribbon which a skilledoperator can manipulate to his advantage so that the ornamentalconfiguration is either of a single color or several colors. It is to beunderstood that by virtue of the dual delivery hoses, a multi-coloredtopping can be obtained. When it is desired to end the operation, lever58 is released and spring 62 returns to its normal position so that theforces exerted against retaining ring 24 and spring pushing plate 72 areequalized. At the same time, valve 64 is virtually instantaneouslyreturned to its original position due to the elasticity of spring 62 andhence the flow of topping through discharge orifice slit 68 ceases.Valve 68 is a washer or other suitable plug which tapers upwardly andoutwardly of its base. When spring 62 is in its normal and uncompressedstate, valve 68 wedges itself tightly within the mouth or orifice 66 oftapered chamber 16.

The hand held device 12 is constructed for easy detachment of itsvarious components for facilitating the cleaning of its interiorchambers and parts. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, cylindricalchamber 14 can be disengaged from tapered chamber 22 by means of screwthreads 74 and tapered chamber 22 is already detached from its conicalnozzle. To remove retaining plate 24 hoses 48 and 50 are lifted fromtheir positions in bushings 40 and 42, respectively, and slowing slidfrom chamber 20 so as not to injure spring 62. Shaft 60 and spring 68may be completely removed from the device after its'other parts aredisassembled by unscrewing jacket 76, removing washer 78 and threadedcylinder 80 and sliding the shaft 60 and spring 62 from the interior ofcylindrical wall 14. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, shaft 60, spring 62and spring pushing plate 72 are removed from the back of cylindricalchamber 20 after unscrewing end wall 64 from cylindrical wall 66. FIG. 2illustrates the device as threadedly attached to conical nozzle 70.

Shaft 60 extends through the entire length of the device, passingthrough a central annular bore in end wall 18, openings 84 and 86 inplate 74 and plate 24, respectively, and finally through a central borein valve 64. It is tightly secured to valve 64 by threaded attachmentwith lock nut 88 when spring 62 is normally extended. Lever 58 controlsthe depression of shaft 60, the com pression of spring 62 andconsequently the discharge of topping through discharge orifice slit 68by pivotal movement around arm 90 about pin 92 toward the shaft 60. Upondepression of shaft 60, valve 64 moves outwardly from its initialposition with respect to orifice 66 and, subsequently, flow of toppingthrough discharge orifice slit 68 begins.

Although only two delivery hoses 30 and 32 are shown in FIGS. 1 and 4,it is to be understood that as many different delivery hoses can be usedas the number of different colors of topping that are desired. The hoses48 and 50 are disposed within cylindrical chamber 20 so that one end ofeach of hoses 48 and 50 meets one of the ports 26 in ring 24.Alternatively, in an embodiment, not shown, retaining plate 24 may bedispensed with and the hoses 48 and 50 extended so that they sit withinchamber 22 and the topping can then flow from the hoses 48 and 50directly into chamber 22.

The retaining plate 24 may be divided into two or more ports 26. If anequal amount of two differently colored toppings are desired each of thehoses 48 and 50 may be connected to one of the two ports 26. However, ifa retaining ring having more than two ports is the only one available,the two hoses may be connected to two opposite and equally spaced ports.When more than two colors are desired, it is obvious that a retainingplate having at least as many ports must be used. By varying the size ofparticular ports, proportionate amounts of differently colored toppingswill flow through the ports 26 and thus through discharge orifice slit68.

It is also within the scope of this invention to modify the shapes ofthe various chambers, the shaft and the like, and also, to operate thedevice by depressing a pushbutton by hand or finger pressure instead ofby lever 58.

A latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended in theforegoing disclosure, and in some instances, some features of theinvention will be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims beconstrued broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scopeof the invention herein.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for decorating pastry and the like comprising a housinghaving a first chamber, conduit means for dividing said first chamberinto a plurality of isolated compartments, a retaining plate, a secondchamber detachably threadedly connected to said first chamber andclampingly detachably holding said retaining plate between said firstchamber and said sec ond chamber, dispensing means on said secondchamber, valve means for controlling flow of decorating maend of saidshaft means will open said valve means and upon release of said otherend said spring means will close said valve means, said retaining platebeing engaged by said spring means so that upon removal of said secondchamber access is provided to the interior of said first chamber, saidplate having a plurality of openings therein for introducing saidplurality of differently colored pastry decorating materials from saidconduit means into said second chamber.

1. An apparatus for decorating pastry and the like comprising a housinghaving a first chamber, conduit means for dividing said first chamberinto a plurality of isolated compartments, a retaining plate, a secondchamber detachably threadedly connected to said first chamber andclampingly detachably holding said retaining plate between said firstchamber and said second chamber, dispensing means on said secondchamber, valve means for controlling flow of decorating materialsoutward of said dispensing means, said dispensing means including aconical nozzle threadedly secured on said second chamber surroundingsaid valve means, shaft means extending through said first and secondchambers and having said valve means disposed on one end, said shaftmeans having its other end extending outwardly of said first chamber,spring means in said first chamber disposed about said shaft fornormally urging said shaft and thus said valve means into a closedposition and so that depression of said other end of said shaft meanswill open said valve means and upon release of sAid other end saidspring means will close said valve means, said retaining plate beingengaged by said spring means so that upon removal of said second chamberaccess is provided to the interior of said first chamber, said platehaving a plurality of openings therein for introducing said plurality ofdifferently colored pastry decorating materials from said conduit meansinto said second chamber.